NICE board of trustees was appointed in July last year by late Bingu wa Mutharika amidst queries from the European Union (EU) who are major financiers of the initiative.

Bamusi: Sacked

“Upon being satisfied that the appointment process of the current Board of Trustees of the NICE was irregular; the Minister of Information and Civic Education has dissolved the Board of Trustees
with immediate effect,” said Kunkuyu.

He said the dissolution came after consultation with local Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

The youthful minister said Malawians were aware that NICE is an important institution in the maturation and consolidation processes of the country’s hard won democracy and that being the case “the manner in which people are constituted to drive the agenda for NICE should bear the semblance of democracy at work.”

The statement said the Minister will appoint a new Board of Trustees for NICE in accordance with the Constitution and after following proper consultations and procedures.

Apart from Bamusi, other members in the NICE board of trustees were Pastor Frank Chirwa of the Seventh Day Adventist, Ombudsperson Tujilane Chizumira, Traditional Authority Mkumbira of Nkhata Bay, Bishop Francis Kaulanda of the Anglican Church and Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) chairperson Sheikh Muhammad Idrissa.

Malawi Government and EU differed on the appointment of the 11-member board of trustees when the project was turned into a public trust.

EU has queried the appointments, arguing it violates the initiative’s constitution.

The appointment procedure is to advertise in the papers calling on various organisations to apply. However, government although it advertised in the end sidelined recommended individuals and brought in its own people, a move which displeased the EU.

EU’s displeasure and holding of funding led to civic education officers in the country’s 28 districts losing their jobs.

The EU head of delegation Alexander Baum confirmed in different interviews with local media that the issue of the board of trustees was a decisive factor any continued assistance to NICE.